Electric self-winding clock.



No. 791.797. PATENTED JUNE 6,1905.

' A. VON KASPIS. I

ELECTRIC SELF WINDING CLOCK.

APPLIUATION FILED JUNE 23,1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEBT l,

9y QW Q ATTORNEY A. VON KASPIS. ELECTRIC SELF WINDING CLOCK.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 23, 1904.

No. 791,797. PATENTED JUNE 6, 1905. i

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

KNVENTOR 1 Y WITNESSES: JV

UNITED STATES Patented June 6, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

ELECTRIC SELF-WINDING CLOCK.

SPEGIFICATIONforming part of Letters Patent No. 791,797, dated June 6, 1905.

Application filed June 23, 1904:. Serial No. 213,902.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, APOLLINARIUS VON KAsrIs, a subject of the Emperor of Austria-Hungary, and a resident of Weehawken, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and Improved Electrically-Self-Winding Clock, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention relates to escapement-clocks driven by spring-motors; and its object is to provide a new and improved electrically-selfwinding clock arranged to require but a comparatively small spring for driving the clockwork, to reduce the work required by the spring to a minimum, to insure accurate running of the clock at all times, and to permit of dispensing with a pendulum.

The invention consists of novel features and parts and combinations of the same, as will be more fully described hereinafter and then pointed out in the claims.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a rear elevation of the improvement, the back cover of the clock-frame being removed and parts being broken out. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the improvement, parts being broken out and the clock-frame removed. Fig. 3 is a cross-section of the same on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the initial or controlling switch mechanism. Fig. 5 is a like View of the same, showing the parts in a different position; and Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view of the electric circuit.

In the electrically-self-winding clock presently to be described, in detail use is made of an electric motor A, connected with a battery B or other similar source of electrical energy, both the motor A and the battery B being preferably located in the housing C of the clock. The motor A is set periodically in action (the periods being of veryshort d uration say of about seven and one-half minutes) to wind up the spring D of the clockwork E, which may be of any approved construction, the arrangement, however, being such that the power of the spring D is used only for driving the clockwork E during a portion of its unwinding, and the spring D is neither allowed to run entirely down nor is it wound up to its full extent or overwound, as is so frequently the case with clocks wound up by a manually-actuated key. The action of the spring is thus practically uniform, and a pendulum is hence not required to insure accurate running of the clock.

Undue loss of electrical energy is prevented by usingin the circuit between the motor A and the battery B an automatic motor-switch F and an automatic controlling-switch Gr, of which the controlling-switch Gr is closed ahead of the motor-switch F, so that when the latter is closed the motor is started to give one turn to the spring-shaft D to wind up the driving-spring for the clockwork E the desired amount. The controlling-switch G is opened before the motor-switch F is opened,

and the controlling-switch is governed from the spring-shaft D and is opened as soon as w the motor A has given one revolution to the spring-shaft D, so that the circuit is broken and the current shut off to the motor for the latter to come to a standstill, notwithstanding that the motor-switch F is still closed and remains closed for a time longer, owing to the slow rotation of the contact making and breaking wheel F of this switch F, controlled by a rotatable part of the driving-gear of the clockwork, as hereinafter more fully explained.

The motor A is preferably secured to the rear end of the frame E of the clockwork, and the motor-shaft A is connected by a train of gear-wheels H, H, H and H with the winding-up shaft D for the driving-spring D, the gear-wheels being so proportioned that the shaft A makes about forty revolutions to one revolution of the shaft D. The motor runs about one and one-half seconds, and about one-half ampere is required by three volts.

The controlling-switch G is arranged as follows: On the front end of the spring-shaft D is secured a cam-wheel I, having two peripheral shoulders I and I, of which the upper shoulder I is adapted to be engaged by a dog 1 and the lower notch is adapted to engage a lever J, fulcrumed at J on a slide K, pressed upward by a spring K and mounted to move up and down in a suitable guideway E, secured to the frame E at the front thereof. A spring J secured on the slide K, presses the lever J, and on the latter is arranged a contact J adapted to pass between the spring members J 4 and J 5 of a contact attached to the slide K, it being understood that the contact J 3 is normally ,out of engagement with the contact members J 4 and J 5 and only moves into engagement when the lever J is released from the notch I on moving the slide K downward against the tension of its spring K. This downward movement is periodically produced (as shown, every seven and one-half minutes) by the use of a camwheel K secured on the minute-hand shaft E of the clockwork. A friction-roller K is in engagement with the peripheral face of the camwheel K and this friction-roller is journaled on the upper end of a rod K, held vertically adjustable on the slide K, as plainly shown in Figs. 3, 4, and 5.

The contact member J* of the controllingswitch G, just described, is connected by a wire N with one pole of the battery B, and the other contact member J 5 is connected by a wire N with the spring contact-plate F of the motor-switch F, having its other spring contact-plate F connected by a wire N with the motor A, which in turn is connected by a wire N with the other pole of the battery B. The contact-wheel F is secured on the intermediate shaft E of the clockwork E, and the peripheral face of this contact-wheel is engaged by a friction-roller F on the contactplate F, and on the said peripheral face and located out of the path of the friction-roller F is arranged a contact-point F adapted to move in and out of engagement with thefree end of the other contact-plate, F The shaft E makes one revolution to every one-eighth revolution of the cam-wheel K on the minutehand sleeve E and the said contact-pin F does not move into contact with the contactplate]? until a short time after the contact J has moved into engagement with the spring members J and J that is, the switch F is not closed until after the switch G has been closed.

Now when the switch G is closed and the switch F is closed on the pin F 5 engaging the plate F then the circuit is closed and the motor A is actuated and the rotation of the motor-shaft A is transmitted by the train of gear-wheels H, H, H and H to the springshaft D to wind up the spring D. When the shaft D has made one revolution, then the lever J, and with it the slide K, moves upward as the upper end of the lever J passes the shoulder 1 and hence the lever J swings back to its former position by the action of its spring J and the contact J 3 moves out of engagement with the contact members J 4 and J 5 to break the circuit to stop the motor A. The slow rotation of the contact-wheel F does not break the contact between the point F and the plate F until some time afterward.

It is understood that in the arrangement shown the cam-wheel K has eight rises, (see Fig. 2,) and as the cam-wheel K rotates with the minute-hand sleeve E it is evident that the slide K is moved down every seven and one-half minutes to cause thecontrollingswitch G to close and about a minute or so later the contact-wheel pin F moves in engagement with the contact-plate F to close the circuit and to cause the motor A to run and wind up the spring D for the clockwork E. The contact-wheel F makes one revolution every seven and one-half minutes, and the pin F remains about one minute in contact with the plate F; but the motor A runs but a fraction of a minute, as the circuit is broken as soon as the spring D is wound upthat is, as soon as the spring-shaft D has made one revolution.

From the foregoing it will be seen that by having the two switches arranged as described .very little electrical energy is consumed and short-circuiting is completely avoided.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. Aself-windingclock,comprisingaspringshaft and a spring-driven clockwork, an electric motor, an electric circuit for the motor, a motor-switch in said circuit, operated from the intermediate driving-gear of the clockwork, and a controlling-switch also in the circuit, operated from the spring-shaft and adapted to open and close the circuit ahead of the motor-switch, said controlling-switch including a vertically-movable and laterally-swinging switch-lever, means on the spring-shaft normally engaged by said lever, and means on the minute-shaft for actuating the same.

2. Aself-winding clock,comprising aspringshaft and a spring-driven clockwork, an electric motor for periodically winding up the clock, an electric circuit, and a controllingswitch in the circuit, operated from the springshaft and including a vertically-operating slide, a laterally-movable switch-lever carried thereby, a rotatable device on the spring-shaft periodically engaged by said lever, and means on the minute-shaft for actuating the slide to release it from such engagement.

3. An electrically-self-winding clock comprising aspring-driven clockwork, an electric motor for periodically Winding up the driving-spring, an electric circuit for the said motor, a motor-switch in the said circuit, con: trolled from the intermediate driving-gear of the clockwork, and a controlling-switch in the said circuit, controlled from the spring-shaft and adapted to close automatically ahead of the said motor-switch, the said controllingswitch comprising a switch-lever, a slide on movement to the said slide, to disengage the lever-contact from the said first-named cam- Wheel for the lever-contact to engage the said fixed contact.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

APOLLINARIUS VON KASPIS.

Witnesses:

THEO. G. HOSTER, EVERARD BOLTON MARSHALL. 

